Two shifts are occurring in the delivery of health and human services. Firs
t, pressures for accountability increasingly focus on the benefits individu
als receive as a result of program interventions. Second, interventions are
increasingly framed within the context of the strengths that are built in
individuals, rather than focusing on the deficits ameliorated. Visualizing
'healthy' individuals allows practitioners to better articulate the positiv
e statuses and conditions they seek with and within their clients. Combinin
g elements of both trends-client-centered outcomes and asset orientations-w
ithin a systems approach provides a powerful way to understand, plan and ev
aluate program interventions. This article introduces the Outcome-Asset Imp
act Model (OAIM), a tool that can be used to enact this approach, and artic
ulates its application through three case studies. (C) 2001 Elsevier Scienc
e Ltd. All rights reserved.